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COVID-19

COVID-19 Pandemic Continues to Evolve: Urgent Funding Needed, Long COVID Concerns Mount

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its third year, concerns over funding, long COVID effects, and healthcare system capacity continue to escalate. The Biden administration has sounded the alarm on Congress's failure to approve additional COVID-19 funding, warning of dire contingencies, including vaccine and treatment rationing. Meanwhile, research highlights the devastating impact of long COVID on older adults, retirement plans, and healthcare workers, with new studies shedding light on the severity of the crisis.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Biden administration is planning for "dire" contingencies, including vaccine and treatment rationing, if Congress doesn't approve additional COVID-19 funding.
  • A study published in BMJ estimated that 32% of older adults in the US who survived COVID-19 infections had symptoms of long COVID up to four months after infection, more than double the 14% rate found in adults ages 18-64.
  • Long COVID has significant financial consequences, particularly for older sufferers, who may need to alter their retirement plans and seek financial aid.
  • One million COVID-19 deaths have been recorded in the US, four times higher than the highest number predicted by Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx in March 2020.
  • The CDC has expanded its recommendation for COVID-19 vaccine booster doses to children as young as five, administered no fewer than five months after the initial vaccine series.
  • A new advisory from the US Department of Health and Human Services presses for systemic changes to address healthcare worker burnout, citing a need for a more diverse workforce, reduced administrative burdens, and improved mental health care.
  • The FDA has authorized the first at-home test available without a prescription that can screen for COVID-19, influenza A and B, and respiratory syncytial virus.
  • Analysis of private health insurance claims reveals that the majority of patients with long COVID were never hospitalized for their initial COVID-19 infection, with disparities related to males and females, and age-related diagnoses.
  • Researchers identified abnormalities in breathing, cough, and fatigue as the three most common symptoms exhibited by patients with long COVID.

Statistics:

  • Total coronavirus cases have reached 83,080,655 as of May 20, according to the CDC COVID-19 Data Tracker.
  • The seven-day average of new cases is 105,713 as of May 20, a dramatic rise from a seven-day average of 42,830 one month earlier.
  • Deaths from COVID-19 have surpassed 1 million, with a 284 seven-day average as of May 20, down from a 359 seven-day average a month earlier.
  • 82.6% of the total US population five and older has received at least one dose of vaccination, with 77.8% fully vaccinated.
  • Half of the booster-eligible population has not received a booster dose.

Sources:

  • The Associated Press: "The White House is planning for 'dire' contingencies that could include rationing supplies of vaccines and treatments this fall if Congress doesn't approve more money for fighting COVID-19."
  • Kaiser Health News: "Only now is the impact on older adults beginning to be documented. In the largest study of its kind, published recently in the journal BMJ, researchers estimated that 32% of older adults in the U.S. who survived covid infections had symptoms of long covid up to four months after infection."
  • MarketWatch: "In addition to the health issues long haulers are forced to deal with, there are also financial challenges, especially for the older sufferers."
  • WebMD: "One million deaths is a number no one thought possible in the early months of the pandemic, says Chris Beyrer, MD, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins."
  • CDC: Total coronavirus cases have reached 83,080,655 as of May 20.
  • HHS: "A health care system already at a breaking point" for worker burnout prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • FDA: The FDA has authorized the first at-home test available without a prescription that can screen for COVID-19, influenza A and B, and respiratory syncytial virus.
  • BMJ: "An analysis of 78,252 patients diagnosed with long COVID revealed that 75.8% of the individuals were never hospitalized for COVID-19."

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